Some of Las Vegas' biggest casinos are extending the front-line of
gaming market competition to the Macao Special Administrative
Region, which is the only place in China where casinos are legal.
The Macao Gaming Co. Ltd (SJM) lavished a job advertisement on all
major newspapers in Macao this week offering 1,000 job vacancies.
Insiders see it as a recruitment contest targeted at its two
rivals, the Las Vegas-based Wynn Resort and Galaxy Casino, both of
which are poised for appealing casino workers in the second half of
this year.
The competition for enticing specialized casino workers has become
fierce after the two overseas rivals entered Macao's gaming market
through a casino license bidding held by the Macao Special
Administrative Region government in March last year. Over 30,000
job seekers turned up at Galaxy's job interview fair earlier this
month competing for 3,500 positions, which ranged from
administration, game host and dealing to catering and entertainment
services.
It
is just the opportunity Macao has been expecting to upgrade the
gaming industry. Not only the University of Macao will open new
subjects concerning gaming business in the coming semester, but
also some higher education institutes will get involved in
providing training to casino employees by the end of this year.
Under the company's schedule, Galaxy Casino will open a
Venetian-style hotel casino, estimated to cost 550 million US
dollars in the first phase. The complex will be located in the
Cotai land reclamation area between Taipa and Coloane Islands in
Macao. Before the completion of the infrastructure construction in
two years, Galaxy will run a small casino around the end of this
year offering over 300 varieties of gaming items and 500 slot
machines.
The Wynn Resort will soon start construction of its amusement
complex this month, which is the first-phase project scheduled to
take seven to nine months with an investment of 4 billion patacas
(US$58 million).
Facing the challenge, SJM, which is the largest enterprise in Macao
owned by tycoon Stanley Ho, has earmarked 4.7 billion patacas
(US$587 million) to revamp its casinos and build new
attractions.
Its latest piece is the dazzling "Crystal Palace," which came into
stream in May. With a decoration cost of 25 million patacas (US$3
million), the main hall of the casino is laid with shining Italian
gold foil mosaic to reflect the dazzling radiance of the huge
crystal droplights hang from the ceiling.
SJM is now busy preparing for an expansion of its flagship Hotel
Lisboa, which houses the largest casino in Macao. The expanded
entertainment area to face the old building across the street will
borrow an air of Las Vegas. The high-rise complex with30-plus
floors is designed to connect with the old building through an
underground pass way, said Liu Kuok Ieng, a spokesman of the
company.
The building of the new wing, estimated to cost over 1 billion
patacas (US$125 million), is slated for the end of the year and
will be completed in the year 2005. Meanwhile, SJM will carry out a
step-by-step refurbishment of the old hotel building.
SJM's objective for the next five years is to take a strong hold of
60 percent of the gaming market in Macao, said General Manager
Ambrose So.
As
the former Portuguese enclave, Macao has a history of more than 150
years in gambling. It remained to be the Asia's unrivaled casino
center after its return to the motherland in December 1999.
However, a competition is emerging with a growing number of casinos
opened up throughout Asia.
"Given its own long experience in the gambling industry, and its
unique cultural characteristics of East and West, Macao will
continue to survive as a favorite place," said Stanley Ho, who had
monopolized Macao's gaming industry for 40 years.
Besides the culture appeal, the huge investment brought by the
casino gambling will certainly add material charms to the Oriental
Mont Carlo.
(Xinhua News Agency July 14, 2003)